Many households have one or more domesticated animals living within. In fact, many animal owners develop such a bond with domesticated animals, such as dogs and cats, that they are often considered as part of the family. While these animals provide benefit to humans, such as companionship and protection, a large amount, of care is required in order to ensure that the animals develop properly and live healthy lives. While pack animals, such as dogs, require companionship, all animals rely on their human caretakers to provide them the basic necessity of food. In addition to food, all animals require a certain amount of fluids, such as water, for their well-being and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle. Since most animals are kept within a home and do not possess the ability to obtain water from a sink, they rely on their caretakers to supply a constant source of fresh water.
The most common form of providing water is through the use of container devices, such as water bowls. These devices are easy to use and maintain, as the caretaker simply places the liquid within the bowl for the animal to drink at will. Any trip to a pet store or search online will reveal that there are numerous types of water bowls available for purchase and use. Water bowls come in many shapes and sizes, and have been designed to provide several functions, including bowls that automatically dispense liquid within the bowl, bowls that aerate water, bowls that slow down the rate at which the animal drinks, and bowls that prevent large amounts of water from spilling if the dog overturns the bowl.
While these dog bowls solve some common problems associated with their use, one issue not fully addressed is the problem of slope. Slopp refers to the mess made by the dog as the animal drinks or splashes from a water bowl. Such mess may also be generated as the dog stops drinking from the bowl and leaves a trail of water coming from the animal's lips, ears snout, tongue or beards. As most dog owners are aware, as the dog drinks from a bowl, not all the water the animal comes in contact with makes it into the mouth and is digested. Instead, depending on the size of the dog, large amounts of water spill all over the area near the bowl. Moreover, as the dog moves away from the watering spot, any water left attached to his/her ears, snout, beard or tongue follows the dog, leaving a trail of water all over the floor. To avoid slipping and falling, the dog owner must constantly clean up the resulting water trail.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is an animal drinking bowl that provides the animal with a non-limiting source of liquid, which is constructed and arranged to prevent or limit the amount of water that stays on the dog's snout, in his mouth and tongue, on his ears or on his beard from contacting the surrounding area. In addition, a drinking bowl which can be adapted to accommodate animals of different sizes having different physical characteristics is needed.